Breaking Bread: Christmas Edition

As Christmas is quickly approaching and small groups are starting to plan their annual Christmas parties, Lifeway Groups Ministry wanted to provide some great recipes to use at your celebratory gatherings. These are tried and true recipes from around the office that are easy and delicious! Comment below with more great recipes!

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Bacon Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 sleeve country club-style crackers
• ¾ cup grated parmesan
• 1 pound thinly sliced bacon

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Lay crackers face up (salt up) on the cooling rack.
3. Scoop 1 teaspoon of grated parmesan on top of the crackers. Cut the entire package of bacon in half. Wrap a half piece of bacon around the crackers with cheese on top.
4. Cook bacon-wrapped cheese crackers in the oven for 2 hours and serve immediately!

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Sausage Cheese Balls

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of biscuit mix
• 1 pound of spicy sausage, uncooked (you can use plain sausage if your group doesn’t like spicy)
• 8 ounces of grated white cheddar
• 8 ounces of grated sharp cheddar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease two baking sheets/cookie sheets.
2. Mix together the biscuit mix and sausage (it’s easiest to mix by hand). After combined, add the white and sharp cheddar to the bowl and continue to mix by hand until completely combined.
3. Form into small balls and place on greased baking sheets.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes and cooked through.

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Cheese Straws

Ingredients:

• 3 (10 oz.) bricks sharp cheddar cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
• 4 cups of all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix together the softened sharp cheddar cheese and the softened butter and beat until fluffy (like whipped cream). This part will take about 30 minutes.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Gradually add the seasoned flour mix (by the spoonful) to the cheese mixture until the dough is firm but still soft enough to push through a cookie press (you may not have to add all of the flour mixture)
4. Spray a cookie sheet with canola oil. With your cookie press fitted with the star tube, put a portion of the cheese dough and push the dough through in long strips.*
5. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Cut strips into 3-inch lengths and cool on a wire rack.
6. Store in an air-tight container.

*If you don’t have a cookie press, don’t fret. You can either roll the dough into balls and press flat with a fork or get a large Ziploc bag and cut a corner. Get a funnel and push through the inside of the bag into the cut corner. Fill the bag with dough and press through in long strips.

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Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• Yellow Cake Box Mix
• ½ cup softened butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 8 oz. softened cream cheese bar
• 1 egg
• powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Beat butter, vanilla, egg, and cream cheese until fluffy.
2. Mix in yellow cake mix.
3. Chill dough for about 30 minutes to firm up.
4. Roll into balls and dip into a bowl of powdered sugar to coat.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, and sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

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